Effective period / Period of releases: 1994 - 1995

Members: Keith Sugg Murrell, Marlon Hatcher (2)

One of the groups that favored a soul-meets-hip-hop approach was Kansas City Original Sound. In 1995, the group, then known as K-OS (Kansas City Original Sound), appeared to land a deal with RCA on the strength of a super-hot demo anchored by the single Kansas City Original Sound - Bounce, but before the album's release, the label restructured, leaving K-OS without a deal. The debut album, Kansas City Original Sound - K-Otic, provided R&B for a hip-hop generation with up-tempo funk selections as well as romantic ballads and slow jams. The album turned out to be Kansas City Original Sound's only album. Marlon Hatcher and Keith Murrell went on to record with R. Kelly and release an album on Interscope Records under the name Talent.